Fabric

ABSTRACT

A fabric includes a base layer formed by assembling at least a first yarn and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. At least a first embedded yarn is embedded in a first region of the base layer. The first embedded yarn includes a thermoplastic polymer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a fabric. More particular,the present invention generally relates to a functional fabric having aunitary one-piece construction incorporating at least a thermoplasticyarn.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As the textile technology keeps progressing, various functional fabricshave been developed for various applications. A conventional method offorming a functional fabric may include forming an additional materiallayer within or on the surface of abase fabric by immersing, coating,sewing or laminating thereby providing a specific functionality to thebase fabric, such as water resistance, abrasion resistance,compressibility, flexibility and tensile strength for durability andcomfort in wearing. However, these conventional methods of forming afunctional fabric usually require complicated process steps, andmeanwhile extra cost of transportation and storage of intermediate goodsand accessories. Furthermore, the endurance of the functional fabric isusually limited by shedding off from the base fabric and also influencesthe appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above, one objective of the present invention is toprovide a fabric, particularly a functional fabric having a unitaryone-piece construction, which incorporates at least a thermoplastic yarnfor improved stretching resistance and durability and may be fabricatedby simplified process.

In order to achieve the above objective, a fabric according to oneaspect of the present application includes a base layer formed byassembling at least a first yarn and having a first surface and a secondsurface opposite to the first surface, and at least a first embeddedyarn embedded in a first region of the base layer. The first embeddedyarn may comprise a thermoplastic polymer.

According to an embodiment, the first embedded yarn comprisesthermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE). The first embedded yarn may bepartially melted, keeping at least part of its texture and adhering tothe first yarn.

According to an embodiment, the fabric further comprises a firstcovering layer formed on the first surface of the base layer. The firstcovering layer is formed simultaneously with the base layer byassembling at least a second yarn when assembling the first yarn to formthe base layer. The second yarn comprises a thermoplastic polymer, andthe first embedded yarn has a melting point higher than a melting pointof the second yarn.

According to an embodiment, the first embedded yarn traverses betweenthe first covering layer and the base layer to attach the first coveringlayer intimately to the first surface of the base layer.

According to an embodiment, the first covering layer is at leastpartially melted and fused into a first film, the first embedded yarn isonly partially melted, keeping most of it texture and adhering to thefirst film and the first yarn of the base layer.

In order to achieve the above objective, a fabric according to anotheraspect of the present invention includes abase layer formed byassembling at least a first yarn and a first covering layer is formed ona first surface of the base layer. The first covering layer issimultaneously formed with the base layer by assembling at least asecond yarn when assembling the first yarn to form the base layer. Anembedded yarn is sandwiched between the base layer and the firstcovering layer and extending along the first surface of the base layer.The second yarn and the embedded yarn respectively comprise athermoplastic polymer, and the embedded yarn has a melting point higherthan a melting point of the second yarn.

According to an embodiment, the first covering layer is at leastpartially melted and fused into a first film, and the embedded yarn isonly partially melted, keeping most of its texture and adhering to thefirst film and the base layer.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating thebasic structures of a knitted or woven fabric.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B and FIG. 5 are schematic illustrative diagrams of afabric according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B and FIG. 9 are schematic illustrative diagrams of afabric according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, FIG. 15A, FIG. 15B and FIG. 16 are schematicillustrative diagrams of a fabric according to a seventh embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23, FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 are schematic diagrams illustrating topviews of fabrics according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of the eighthembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by theappended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which suchclaims are entitled. One or more implementations of the presentinvention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout, and wherein the illustrated structures are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Some structures are omitted for the sake of simplicity.

The term “simultaneously assembling/manipulating” in the presentinvention is directed to a continuous process of forming a unitaryone-piece hybrid fabric by manipulating two or more than two differentkinds of yarns in a machine. The fabric provided by the presentinvention may have a single layer structure or a multi-layer structure.The said two or more than two different kinds of yarns may besimultaneously assembled into a single layer or into different layers ofthe fabric. A unitary one-piece fabric refers to a fabric having itsentirety formed through a continuous fabricating process without othersteps such as adhering, sewing, stitching or braiding for forming anypart of the fabric.

Yarn which may be manipulated into a yarn contexture or into an inlaidstructure of a fabric of the present invention is an assembly of atleast one filament or a plurality of fibers (monofilament ormultifilament) and has an extending length and relatively smallcross-section. Materials for forming yarns may be natural or artificialmaterials. For example, yarns used in the present invention may be madeof materials selected from the group including vegetable fibers (cotton,linen and the like), animal fibers (silk, wool and the like), inorganicregenerated fiber, organic generated fiber, semi-synthetic fiber andpolymers such as polyamide, polyester, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene,polypropylene, polyvinylalcohol, polyvinylchloride,polytetrafluoroethylene, polyurethane, nature rubber, thermoplasticpolymer, thermoset polymer, synthetic rubber, or combination thereof,but not limited hereto. Yarns utilized in the present invention may bemonofilament or multifilament yarns. Each yarn may include differenttypes of filaments made of different materials, or may include a singletype of filament made of two or more different materials. Similarconcepts also apply to yarns formed from fibers. Accordingly, yarns mayhave a variety of configurations that generally conform to thedefinition provided above.

Weaving and knitting are the two foremost textile processing methods.Weaving has two perpendicular and individual tread systems, warp andweft threads, that come close contact and result in a rigid fabric. Inknitting, the yarns are kept together by loops that give a latentpotential for being easily deformable. The fabric provided by thepresent invention has a unitary one-piece construction and is producedby simultaneously manipulating (assembling) two or more different kindsof yarns in a continuous process, such as a contentious weaving orknitting process. Although a portion of the fabric may undergo atransformation by performing an additional step, such as a heat-settingstep or a cooling step performed after the continuous process forproducing the fabric, the fabric including the transformed portion isstill considered as a unitary one-piece fabric.

Transformation of a material may be induced by thermo stress. Commontransformation of a material may include, but not limited to: brittlewhen being cooled to a temperature lower than the glass transitiontemperature (Tg) of the material, softening when being heated to atemperature higher than the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of thematerial, melting or fusing when being heated to a temperature higherthan the melting temperature (Tm) of the material and degrading whenbeing heated to a temperature higher than the degradation temperature(Td) of the material.

The fabric according to the present invention has a thermoplasticportion made of thermoplastic polymer undergoing a transformationprocess including heating the fabric to a temperature higher than themelting point (Tm) of the thermoplastic polymer to make thethermoplastic portion at least partially melted and fused and thencooling the fabric to room temperature to finalize the shape of thethermoplastic portion (herein referred as a heat-setting step) is anexample of the transformation. Materials, processes and applications ofthe present invention are not limited to the exemplary embodiments.Furthermore, although the entirety of the fabric is heated in a sameequipment for a period time, the portion of the fabric closer to theheat source (such as the outermost portion of the fabric) will betransformed faster and more completely than the portion farther from theheat source (such as the inner portion of the fabric). Consequently, asame material may have different degrees of transformation according todifferent positions of the fabric.

The fabric provided by the present invention which has a unitaryone-piece construction formed by simultaneously manipulating at leasttwo different kinds of yarns in a continuous fabricating process allowsselectively reinforcing a particular property or providing a particularfunction of a certain portion of the fabric with simplifiedmanufacturing process. The fabric provided by the present invention andthe associated concepts may be applied in various field, such as apparelclothing, footwear textile, athletic equipment textile, container,furniture textile, household textile, industrial clothing, automotivetextile. The fabrics illustrated in the following embodiments arefootwear textiles. Generally, footwear includes two primary partsaccording to different functions, a sole and an upper. The sole issecured to a lower portion of the upper and positioned between the upperand the ground, thereby may attenuate ground reaction force and lessenstresses the foot and leg bearing during walking, running and otherambulatory activities. The upper is configured to receive a foot of awearer so as to provide protection and appearance. Typically, an uppermay be compartmented into several portions to conform to different areasof a foot as well as provide different functions. For example, an uppermay include a fore portion associated with the toes, a rear portionassociated with the heel, and a medial portion that is disposed betweenthe fore portion and the rear portion and associated with the instep,side and arch of the foot. An upper may further include a tongueportion, lace holes and an ankle opening portion. The entire upper offinished footwear may be made of several joint compartments or of aunitary base fabric. Different portions of an upper may be made withdifferent functions or reinforced properties, such as abrasionresistance, air permeability, stretching resistance, moisturepermeability, compressibility, flexibility and shape memory for comfortin wearing. Conventional methods of imparting these functions to anupper usually require performing additional steps, such as adhering,sewing, stitching or braiding to add functional components to the upperafter the compartments or base fabric of the upper been produced and cutto shape or sometimes performing additional steps in the process offorming the compartments or base fabric of the upper. One feature of thepresent invention is that the fabric provided by the present inventionhas a unitary one-piece construction with built-in functionalcomponent(s) and is formed in its entirety through a continuous process.In other words, functional component(s) is integrally imparted into thefabric at the same time when producing the fabric through a continuousprocess (a continuous weaving or knitting process). After that, theunitary one-piece fabric made with built-in functional component(s) maybe subjected to a cutting process to remove unnecessary portions andobtain the prototype for being configured into shape. Additional stepsto impart functional component(s) to the fabric after the cuttingprocess may be omitted, thereby attaining a simplified process.

For better understanding the objective of the present invention, pleaserefer to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C, which are schematic diagramsexemplarily showing the common assembling structures of fabrics made byweaving or knitting.

Please refer to FIG. 1A. FIG. 1A shows an assembling structure of awoven fabric 10, in which the top portion is a perspective view of thefabric 10, and the lower portion is a cross-sectional view taken alongthe warp direction A-A′ of the fabric 10. The fabric 10 as shown in FIG.1A is formed by assembling (interlacing or interweaving) at least twosets of yarns 12 and 12 a. Yarns 12 parallel with the warp directionA-A′ (the prolonging direction of the fabric) are warps. Yarns 12 aparallel with the weft direction (the widthwise direction of the fabric10) and assembled with yarns 12 at right angles are wefts. Yarns 12 and12 a may respectively be monofilament or multifilament yarns.

Please refer to FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C. FIG. 1B shows an assemblingstructure of a weft-knitted fabric 20 formed by assembling at least ayarn 22. The upper portion of FIG. 1B is a plan-view, and the lowerportion of FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the weftdirection B-B′ of the fabric 20. FIG. 1C shows an assembling structureof a warp-knitted fabric 30 formed by assembling a set of yarns 32. Theupper portion of FIG. 1C is a plan-view, and the lower portion of FIG.1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the warp direction A-A′ of thefabric 30. Generally, in a knitted fabric, a row of loops arranged alongthe weft direction (the widthwise direction of the fabric) is referredas a course, and a column of loops arranged along the warp direction(the lengthwise direction of the fabric) is referred as a wale. Duringthe process of forming a weft-knitted fabric 20 as shown in FIG. 1B, theyarn 22 is supplied to a knitting machine from the weft direction B-B′and successively placed on a row of needles for being manipulated into arow of lateral-connected loops, herein designated as course number n.Subsequently, the yarn 22 re-enters the knitting machine from theopposite side of the weft direction B-B′ and successively placed on theneedles for being manipulated into another row of lateral-connectedloops, herein designated as course number n+1. At the same time offorming course number n+1 of yarn 22, by a series of lapping andshogging movements of the needles, each loop of course number n+1 isassembled (interlaced or interlooped) with the corresponding loop ofcourse number n formed previously by the same needle, thereby prolongingthe weft-knitted fabric 20 with assembled courses. On the other hand,during the process of forming a warp-knitted fabric 30 as shown in FIG.1C, a set or several sets of parallel yarns 32 are supplied to aknitting machine respectively from the warp direction and placed on theneedles for being manipulated into columns of vertical-connected loops,herein designated as wales number m−1, m and m+1. Meanwhile, byalternately placing the yarns 32 on adjacent needles for beinginterlooped with loops of another yarn previously formed on the needles,wales number m−1, m and m+1 formed from different yarns 32 are laterallyinterconnected as the knitting process continues to prolong thewarp-knitted fabric 30.

Nowadays, various stitches have been developed for weaving,weft-knitting or warp-knitting. For example, a woven fabric may includeplain stitch, twill stitch, satin stitch or combination thereof. A wovenfabric may have warps or wefts braided, twisted, crossed or ribbed forbetter strength, texturing or appearance, but not limited hereto. Aknitted fabric may include weft plain stitch, rib stitch, purl stitch,chain stitch, tricot stitch, satin tricot stitch, double loop stitch,tuck stitch, derivative stitch or the like, or combination thereof, butnot limited hereto. It should be understood that the fabrics provided bythe present invention may be formed by weaving, weft-knitting orwarp-knitting process and may include various stitches. In the followingdescription, several embodiments are provided with reference toassociated schematic diagrams in which only components considerednecessarily for understanding the concept of the present invention areshown while other components may be omitted for the sale of simplicity.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabric 100according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 2. The upper portion of FIG. 2 is a perspective view of thefabric 100, and the lower portion of FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view ofthe fabric 100. The fabric 100 includes a base layer 110 formed byassembling at least yarn 112 through a continuous process (weaving orknitting) and having a first surface 110 a and a second surface 110 bopposite to the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110. In thefollowing description, the term “surface” or “upper surface” of a fabricor a textile layer is the surface presenting the stitch of the fabricand used in defining the thickness of the fabric, or may be theoutermost surface exposed for perceptible texture. In the presentinvention, the surfaces of a fabric or a textile layer are drawn as aplane for the sake of simplicity. Usually, the surface of a fabric mayprovide a coarse texture when the textures of yarns forming the fabricare felt. The fabric 100 further includes a first covering layer 120formed on the first surface 110 a and at least partially covering thefirst surface 110 a. The first covering layer 120 is simultaneouslyformed with the base layer 110 by assembling at least a second yarn 122during the continuous process of forming the base layer 110. In otherwords, the fabric 100 provided by the present invention substantiallyhas a unitary one-piece construction formed by manipulating the firstyarn 112 and the second yarn 122 respectively into the base layer 110and the first covering layer 120 in the same continuous weaving orknitting process. According to an embodiment when the fabric 100 isformed by a weaving, the winding first yarn 112 and second yarn 122shown in the lower portion of FIG. 2 may be considered as the warp yarnof the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120, such as the warpyarn 12 shown in FIG. 1A. In another embodiment when the fabric 100 isformed by weft-knitting, the winding first yarn 112 and second yarn 122shown in the lower portion of FIG. 2 may be considered as a course ofloops made from yarn 112 or 122 along the weft direction of the fabric100, such as the course made from yarn 22 shown in FIG. 1B. In stillanother embodiment when the fabric 100 is formed by warp-knitting, thewinding first yarn 112 and second yarn 122 shown in the lower portion ofFIG. 2 may be considered as a wale of loops made from yarn 112 or 122along the warp direction of the fabric 100, such as the wale made fromyarn 32 shown in FIG. 1C. To further simplify the diagrams, other rowsor columns assembled with the drawn yarns 112 and 122 are not shown inFIG. 2 and other diagrams in the present invention. Because the firstcovering layer 120 is formed by weaving or knitting, the first surface110 a of the base layer 110 may be seen through fabric pores created bythe assembling second yarn 122 especially when the first covering layer120 exhibits a small stitch density (or high fabric porosity).

According to one embodiment, the first yarn 112 for forming the baselayer 110 may be monofilament or multifilament. The first yarn 112 maybe made of materials selected from the group previously illustrated.Preferably, the first yarn 112 comprises thermoplastic polymer, such aspolyethylene terephthalate (PET).

According to the embodiment, the second yarn 122 for forming the firstcovering layer 120 may be monofilament or multifilament. The first yarn112 may be made of materials selected from the group previouslyillustrated. Preferably, the second yarn 122 is monofilament comprisingthermoplastic polymer, such as thermoplastic urethane (TPU) which isknown for thermofusion stability, thermoplasticity with adjustablemelting point for process convenience. According to an embodiment, thesecond yarn 122 may have a thread size of linear mass density between150 and 1800 dens (denier). It is noteworthy that when both the firstyarn 112 and the second yarn 122 are made of thermoplastic polymer, themelting point of the second yarn 122 should be lower than the meltingpoint of the first yarn 112 to prevent the first yarn 112 from beingmelted and causing unexpected deformation of the base layer 110 whenperforming a subsequent heat-setting step to transform the firstcovering layer 120 into a first film 130 (shown in FIG. 3). Preferably,the melting point of the second yarn 122 is at least 20 degrees Celsiuslower than the melting point of the first yarn 112. More preferably, themelting point of the second yarn 122 is at least 30 degrees Celsiuslower than the melting point of the first yarn 112. For example, in apractice of the invention, the first yarn 112 forming the base layer 110is made of PET and has a melting point approximately 250 degreesCelsius, and the second yarn 122 forming the first covering layer 120 ismade of TPU and has a melting point equal to or smaller than 220 degreesCelsius. The stitches of the base layer 110 and the first covering layer120 may be integrally designed by computer aided manufacturing (CAM)technique. The design is then input to a computer-controlled knitting orweaving machine by which the continuous weaving or knitting process isperformed wherein the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 aresimultaneously manipulated into the base layer 110 and the firstcovering layer 120, respectively. It is noteworthy that when needles areused to manipulate the yarns, the thread size of the yarns should beadjusted according to needle sizes. According to a practice of thepresent invention, the thread size of the yarns 112 and yarn 122 usedfor forming the fabric 100 preferably have a linear mass density smallerthan 900 dens, for example, approximately 600 dens.

Please refer to FIG. 3. After the fabric 100 including the base layer110 and the first covering layer 120 are produced, they may be subjectedto a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of the first coveringlayer 120 at least partially melted and fused into a first film 130covering the same region of the first surface 110 a originally coveredby the first covering layer 120. The heat-setting step may be carriedout using heat press by a roller or mold, or heat-flue setting by anoven, but not limited. The temperature of the heat-setting step is equalto or higher than the melting point of the second yarn 122, andpreferably, by at least 5 degrees Celsius. For example, when the secondyarn 122 has a melting point approximately at 180 degrees Celsius, theheat-setting step may be carried out at approximately 200 degreesCelsius, and preferably 185 degrees Celsius. According to an embodiment,after the heat-setting step, as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 3,the second yarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 may be melted tocompletely lose its original texture (deformed to lose its originalthread profile) and fused into a first film 130, which may have an uppersurface with a smooth texture and does not show any texture of thesecond yarn 122. According to another embodiment, as shown in the lowerportion of FIG. 3, the second yarn 122 of the first covering layer 120is only partially melted, partially keeping its original texture andpartially fused form to form the first film 130 during the heat-settingstep. Therefore, the first film 130 may present a partial texture of thesecond yarn 122 and may have an upper surface having a coarse texture.Preferably, the first film 130 is a continuous film uniformly coveringthe region of the first surface 110 a originally covered by the firstcovering layer 120 without any pores exposing the first surface 110 a.Advantageously, by selecting TPU as the material to form the second yarn122 of the first covering layer 120 therefore obtaining the first film130 made of TPU, the region of the first surface 110 a covered by thefirst film 130 may have improved moisture resistance properties toprevent moisture from permeating into the base layer 110 from the firstsurface 110 a. Meanwhile, the region of the first surface 110 a coveredby the first film 130 made of TPU may also have improved wear-resistanceproperties. Furthermore, the first film 130 made of TPU may have betterfusion and laminating to the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110after the heat-setting step.

One feature of the present invention is that, the fabric 100 withfunctional component(s) incorporated therein is made of a unitaryone-piece construction by simultaneously assembling the first yarn 112and the functional second yarn 122 respectively into base layer 110 andthe first covering layer 120 covering a pre-determined region of firstthe surface of the base layer 120, allowing the functional first film130 being formed with precisely controlled shape and placement. Thefabric 100 provided by the present invention may be formed in asimplified process in high degree of automation without the need ofperforming conventional cutting, aligning, adhering, and heating processfor adding functional component(s) to the base fabric.

Please refer to drawing (a) of FIG. 23, illustrating a top view of afabric 100 according to the first embodiment of the present inventionused for forming a footwear upper. As illustrated in the firstembodiment, the fabric 100 includes a base layer 110 formed byassembling at least a first yarn 112. The base layer 110 may include apre-determined first region 114 a defined therein. For example, thefabric 100 may be cut into a full upper of a footwear article along theouter perimeter of the first region 114 a. The fabric 100 furtherincludes a first covering layer 120 formed on the first surface (thedrawing plane) 110 a and covering the first region 114 a. The firstsurface 110 a of the fabric 100 may be an exterior surface of thefootwear upper, which is opposite to the interior surface facing thefoot. On the contrary, the first surface 110 a of the fabric 100 may bean interior surface facing the foot. It is important that the fabric 100is made of a unitary one-piece construction by simultaneouslymanipulating the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 respectivelyinto the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 through acontinuously process (may be weaving or knitting) of forming the fabric100. The fabric 100 may be subjected to a heat-setting step to make thefirst covering layer 120 at least melted and fused into a first film 130on the first surface 110 a and covering the first region 114 a. Theregion covered by the first film 130 may have improved moistureresistance, wear-resistance and fusion property. According to anembodiment where the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110 comprisesthermoplastic material, the heat-setting step may be carried out at atemperature higher than the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of thefirst yarn 112 of the base layer 110 to simultaneously thermo-shape thebase layer 110 and melting and fusing the first covering layer 120 intothe first film 130 at the same time, thereby further simplifying theprocess steps.

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B and FIG. 5 are schematic illustrative diagrams of afabric 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.Please refer to FIG. 4A. Similar to the first embodiment, the fabric 100includes a base layer 110 and a first covering layer 120 formed on andat least partially covering a first surface 110 a of the base layer 100.The difference with the first embodiment is that, in the secondembodiment, the fabric 100 further includes at least an assistant secondyarn 124 traversing back and forth between the base layer 110 and thefirst covering layer 120 to attach the first covering layer 120intimately to the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110 and also atleast partially fill the fabric pores of the base layer 110 (created bythe assembling first yarn 112) and the first covering layer 120 (createdby the assembling first yarn 112). The assistant second yarn 124 maycomprise the same material as the second yarn 122, such as the samethermoplastic polymer, and have substantially the same or close meltingpoint. The structure of the fabric 100 is shown in schematic diagramFIG. 4A, illustrating the assistant second yarn 124 alternativelyassembled with the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 thereby beingbound into the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 duringthe continuous process of producing the fabric 100. More specifically,in an embodiment when the fabric 100 is formed by weaving, as shown indrawing (a) of FIG. 4B, the assistant second yarn 124 may alternativelyextend with the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 along, forexample, the warp direction of the fabric 100 and alternatelyintersecting with the weft yarns 112(a) and 122(a) thereby beingassembled into the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 asthe weaving process continues. In another embodiment when the fabric 100is formed by weft-knitting, as shown in drawing (b) of FIG. 4B, theassistant second yarn 124 may be alternately placed on two sets ofneedles respectively holding the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122,and then being looped and assembled with the loops of the first yarn 112and the second yarn 122 by a series of lapping and shogging movement ofthe needles as the knitting process continues. Since the fabric 100including the assistant second yarn 124 is formed through a continuousweaving or knitting process, the fabric 100 including the assistantsecond yarn 124 is still made of a unitary one-piece construction.Similarly, the fabric 100 including the assistant second yarn 124 may beformed in various stitches. In some embodiments, the assistant secondyarn 124 may be exposed from the upper surface 120 a of the firstcovering layer 120 and/or form the second surface 110 b of the baselayer 110. In other embodiments, the assistant second yarn 124 may notbe exposed but may be observed through the fabric pores of the firstcovering layer 120 and/or the base layer 110.

Please refer to FIG. 5. Similarly, the fabric 100 as shown in FIG. 4 maybe subjected to a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of thefirst covering layer 120 at least partially melted and fused into afirst film 130 covering the same region of the first surface 110 aoriginally covered by the first covering layer 120. It is noteworthythat the assistant second yarn 124 may comprise the same material as thesecond yarn 122 or have a melting point equal or close to that of thesecond yarn 122. Consequently, the portion of the assistant second yarn124 traversing in the first covering layer 120 may also be at leastpartially melted during the heat-setting step, fused with the meltedsecond yarn 122 and constitute a part of the first film 130. Pleaserefer to the upper portion of FIG. 5. According to one embodiment, thesecond yarn 122 and the portion of the assistant second yarn 124traversing in the first covering layer 120 are melted to completely losetheir original textures and fused with each other to collectivelyconstitute the first film 130, which may have an upper surface with asmooth texture and does not show any textures of the second yarn 122 andthe assistant second yarn 124. Please refer to the lower portion of FIG.5. According to another embodiment, the second yarn 122 and the portionof the assistant yarn 124 traversing in the first covering layer 120 areonly partially melted, keeping part of their original textures andpartially fused with each other to form the first film 130 which mayshow partial profiles of the second yarn 122 and the assistant secondyarn 124 and may have an upper surface with a coarse texture. On theother hand, the portion of the assistant second yarn 124 traversing inthe base layer 110 may be partially melted to adhere to the first yarn112 of the base layer 110 during the heat-setting step while keepingpart of its original texture. By the assistant second yarn 124 at leastpartially fused into the first film 130 and meanwhile adhering to thefirst yarn 112 of the base layer 110, the first film 130 may be moresecurely attached on the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110.Furthermore, when the assistant second yarn 124 is made of materialhaving good thermo stability and tensile strength properties, such asthermoplastic elastomer (TPE), the assistant second yarn 124 may impartadditional tensile strength to the base layer 110 by assembling with andadhering to the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110. In someembodiments, the assistant second yarn 124 traversing in the base layer110 may be completely melted (not shown) during the heat-setting step tofill the fabric pores of the base layer 110.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabric 100according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 6. Similar to the first embodiment, the fabric 100 includes abase layer 110 and a first covering layer 120 formed on and at leastpartially covering a first surface 110 a of the base layer 110. Thedifference with the first embodiment is that, in the third embodiment,the fabric 100 further includes two or more assistant second yarns 124and 126 traversing back and forth between the base layer 110 and thesecond covering layer 120 to attach the first covering layer 120intimately to the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110 and also atleast partially fill the fabric pores of the base layer 110 and thefirst covering layer 120. The assistant second yarns 124 and 126 maycomprise the same material as the second yarn 122, such as the samethermoplastic polymer, and have substantially the same or close meltingpoint. The structure of the fabric 100 including the assistant secondyarns 124 and 126 is shown in schematic diagram. FIG. 6, illustratingthe assistant second yarns 124 and 126 respectively and alternativelyassembled with the first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 thereby beingbound into the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 duringthe continuous process of producing the fabric 100. The fabric 100 ofthe third embodiment may be formed by weaving or knitting. The method ofintegrally manipulating the first yarn 112, second yarn 122 and theassistant second yarns 124 and 126 when forming the fabric 100 may beunderstood by reference to the second embodiment previously illustrated.Similarly, the fabric 100 including the assistant second yarns 124 and126 may be formed with various stitches. In some embodiments, theassistant second yarns 124 and 126 may be exposed from the upper surface120 a of the first covering layer 120 and/or form the second surface 110b of the base layer 110. In other embodiments, the assistant secondyarns 124 and 126 may not be exposed but may be observed through thefabric pores of the first covering layer 120 and/or the base layer 110.

Please refer to FIG. 7. The fabric 100 as shown in FIG. 6 may besubjected to a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of thefirst covering layer 120 at least partially melted and fused into afirst film 130 covering the same region of the first surface 110 aoriginally covered by the first covering layer 120. When the assistantsecond yarns 124 and 126 comprise the same material as the second yarn122 or have a melting point equal or close to that of the second yarn122, the assistant second yarns 124 and 126 traversing in the firstcovering layer 120 may also be at least partially melted during theheat-setting step and fused with the melted second yarn 122 andconstitute a part of the first film 130. Please refer to the upperportion of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the second yarn 122 andthe respective portions of the assistant second yarns 124 and 126traversing in the first covering layer 120 are melted to completely losetheir original textures and fused with each other to collectively formthe first film 130, which may have an upper surface with a smoothtexture and does not show any textures of the second yarn 122 and theassistant second yarns 124 and 126. Please refer to the lower portion ofFIG. 7. According to another embodiment, the second yarn 122 and therespective portions of the assistant second yarns 124 and 126 traversingin the first covering layer 122 are only partially melted to partiallykeep their original textures and partially fused with each other to formthe first film 130, which may show partial textures of the second yarn122 and the assistant second yarns 124 and 126 and may have an uppersurface with a coarse texture. On the other hand, the respectiveportions of the assistant second yarns 124 and 126 traversing in thebase layer 110 may be partially melted and adhere to the first yarn 112of the base layer 110 after the heat-setting step while keeping part oftheir respective textures. By utilizing two or more assistant secondyarns 124 and 126 fused into the first film 130 and meanwhile adheringto the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110, the first film 130 may bemore securely attached on the first surface 110 a of the base layer 110.In some applications, the assistant second yarns 124 and 126 traversingin the base layer 110 may be completely melted during the heat-settingstep to fill the fabric pores of the base layer 110.

FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B and FIG. 9 are schematic illustrative diagrams of afabric according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Pleaserefer to FIG. 8A. Similar to the first embodiment, the fabric 100includes a base layer 110 and a first covering layer 120 formed on andat least partially covering a first surface 110 a of the base layer 100.The difference with the first embodiment is that, in the fourthembodiment, the fabric 100 further includes a second covering layer 140formed on and at least partially covering the second surface 110 b ofthe base layer 110. The second covering layer 140 is simultaneouslyformed with the base layer 110 by assembling at least a third yarn 142during the continuous process of forming the base layer 110. In otherwords, the fabric 100 according to the fourth embodiment substantiallyhas a unitary one-piece construction formed by manipulating the firstyarn 112, the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142 respectively intothe base layer 110, the first covering layer 120 and the second coveringlayer 140 in the same continuous weaving or knitting process. The firstcovering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140 on the oppositesurfaces of the base layer 110 may be formed at least partiallyoverlapped (as shown in FIG. 8A) or completely not overlapped with eachother (as shown in FIG. 8B). The second surface 110 b of the base layer110 may be observed through the fabric pores of the second coveringlayer 140 (created by the assembling the third yarns 142) when thesecond covering layer 140 has a small stitch density (or a high fabricporosity). According to an embodiment, the third yarn 142 may bemonofilament or a multifilament. The first yarn 112 may be made ofmaterials selected from the group previously illustrated, but notlimited hereto. Preferably, the both the second yarn 122 and the thirdyarn 142 are monofilament yarns and comprising thermoplastic polymer,such as thermoplastic urethane (TPU), and therefore have the same orclose melting points preferably between 110 and 250 degrees Celsius,more preferably between 180 and 200 degrees Celsius. According to apractice of the present invention, the third yarn 142 preferably has athread size of linear mass density between 150 and 1800 dens. In otherembodiments, the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142 may be made ofthe same material but have different melting points, or may be made ofdifferent materials.

Please refer to FIG. 9. The fabric 100 as shown in FIG. 8 may besubjected to a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of thefirst covering layer 120 and the third yarn 142 of the second coveringlayer 140 at least partially melted and respectively fused into thefirst covering layer 130 and the second covering layer 150 covering theopposite surfaces of the base layer 110. According to one embodiment, asshown in the upper portion of FIG. 9, the second yarn 122 and the thirdyarn 142 may be melted to completely lose their respective textures, andthereby the obtained first film 130 and the second film 150 mayrespectively have an upper surface with smooth texture and does not showany texture. According to another embodiment, as shown in the lowerportion of FIG. 9, the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142 may beonly partially melted, keeping part of their original texture andpartially fused to respectively form the first film 130 and the secondfilm 150 showing partial textures of the yarns and may have coarsetexture. Preferably, the second film 150 is a continuous film uniformlycovering the region of the second surface 110 b originally covered bythe second covering layer 140 without any pores exposing the secondsurface 110 b. Advantageously, by selecting TPU as the material to formthe third yarn 142 of the second covering layer 140 therefore obtainingthe second film 150 made of TPU, the region of the second surface 110 bcovered by the second film 150 may have improved moisture resistanceproperties to prevent moisture from permeating into the base layer 110from the second surface 110 b. Meanwhile, the region of the secondsurface 110 b covered by the second film 150 made of TPU may also haveimproved wear-resistance properties. Furthermore, the second film 150made of TPU may have better fusion and laminating to the second surface110 b of the base layer 110 after the heat-setting step

Please refer to drawing (b) of FIG. 23, illustrating top view of afabric 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present inventionused for forming a footwear upper. As previously illustrated, the fabric100 according to the fourth embodiment includes a base layer 110 formedby assembling at least a first yarn 112. The fabric 100 further includesa first covering layer 120 on the first surface (drawing plane) 110 aand covering a pre-determined first region 114 a of the base layer 110.For example, along the outer perimeter of the first region 114 a, thefabric 100 may be cut into a full upper of a footwear article. Thefabric 100 further includes a second covering layer 140 on the secondsurface (opposite of the drawing plane) 110 b and covering apre-determined second region 114 b of the base layer 110. It isimportant that the fabric 100 is made of a unitary, one-piececonstruction by simultaneously manipulating the first yarn 112, thesecond yarn 122 and the third yarn 142 respectively into the base layer110, the first covering layer 120 and the third covering layer 140through a continuously process (may be weaving or knitting) of formingthe fabric 100. According to an embodiment, the first surface 110 a ofthe fabric 100 may be an exterior surface of the upper which faces awayfrom the foot, and the second surface 114 b is an interior surfacefacing the foot, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the firstregion 114 a excluding the second region 114 b may be associated withthe fore portion and lower medial and rear portions of a footwear upper,which may be positioned close to the sole (not shown) of a footweararticle. The second region 114 b may be associated with the rest portionof the footwear upper. In other embodiments (not shown), the firstregion 114 a and the second region 114 b may be completely overlapped.As previously illustrated, the fabric 100 may be subjected to aheat-setting step to make the first covering layer 120 and the secondcovering layer 140 at least partially melted and respectively fused intoa first film (not shown) on the first surface 110 a covering the firstregion 114 a and a second film (not shown) on the second surface 110 bcovering the second region 114 b. The moisture resistance properties,wear-resistance properties and fusion properties of the first surface110 a and the second surface 110 b of the base layer 11 may be improved.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 10. Similar to the fourth embodiment, the fabric 100 includes abase layer 110, a first covering layer 120 covering a first surface 110a of the base layer 110 and a second covering layer 140 covering asecond surface 110 b of the base layer 110. The difference from thefourth embodiment is that, in the fifth embodiment, the fabric 100further includes at least an assistant second yarn 124 traversing backand forth between the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120,and at least an assistant third yarn 144 traversing back and forthbetween the base layer 110 and the second covering layer 140 to attachthe first covering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140respectively intimately to the first surface 110 a and the secondsurface 110 b, and meanwhile fill the fabric pores of the base layer110, the first covering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140.According to an embodiment, the assistant second yarn 124 may comprisethe same material as the second yarn 122, and the assistant third yarn144 may comprise the same material as the third yarn 142. The structureof the fabric 100 including the assistant second yarns 124 and assistantthird yarn 144 as shown in schematic diagram FIG. 10, illustrating theassistant second yarn 124 alternatively assembled with the first yarn112 and the second yarn 122 thereby being bound into the base layer 110and the first covering layer 120, and the assistant third yarn 144alternatively assembled with the first yarn 112 and the third yarn 142thereby being bound into the base layer 110 and the second coveringlayer 140 during the continuous process of producing the fabric 100, andthe fabric 100 is considered as a unitary one-piece fabric. Similarly,the fabric 100 including the assistant second yarn 124 and the assistantthird yarn 144 may be formed with various stitches. The assistant secondyarn 124 and the assistant third yarn 144 may be exposed from theoutermost surface of the fabric or not exposed. For example, theassistant second yarn 124 may be exposed from the upper surface 120 a ofthe first covering layer 120 and/or form the second surface 110 b of thebase layer 110 that is not covered by the second covering layer 140. Onthe contrary, the assistant second yarn 124 may be unexposed but able tobe observed from the upper surface 120 a of the first covering layer 120through the fabric pores of the first covering layer 120 and/or from thesecond surface 110 b of the base layer 110 not covered by the secondcovering layer 140 through the fabric pores of the base layer 110.Similarly, the assistant third yarn 144 may be exposed from the uppersurface 140 a of the second covering layer 140 and/or form the firstsurface 110 a of the base layer 110 not covered by the first coveringlayer 120. On the contrary, the assistant third yarn 144 may beunexposed but able to be observed from the upper surface 140 a of thesecond covering layer 140 through the fabric pores of the secondcovering layer 140 and/or from the first surface 110 a of the base layer110 not covered by the first covering layer 120 through the fabric poresof the base layer 110.

Please refer to FIG. 11. The fabric 100 as shown in FIG. 10 may besubjected to a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of thefirst covering layer 120 and the third yarn 142 of the second coveringlayer 140 at least partially melted and respectively fused into a firstfilm 130 and a second film 150 covering the opposite surfaces of thebase layer 110. It is noteworthy that the assistant second yarn 124 andthe assistant third yarn 144 may respectively comprise the same materialas the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142, or may have meltingpoints equal or close to that of the second yarn 122 and third yarn 142.Consequently, the portion of the assistant second yarn 124 traversing inthe first covering layer 120 and the portion of the assistant third yarn144 traversing in the second covering layer 140 may also be at leastpartially melted during the heat-setting step and respectively fusedwith the melted second yarn 122 and third yarn 142 to constitute a partof the first film 130 and the second film 150. According to oneembodiment, as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 11, the second yarn122, the portion of the assistant second yarns 124 traversing in thefirst covering layer 120, the third yarn 142 and the portion of theassistant third yarn 144 traversing in the second covering layer 140 aremelted to completely lose their original textures and fused to form thefirst film 130 and the second film 150 having upper surfaces with asmooth texture without showing any textures of the yarns. In anotherembodiment, as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 11, the second yarn122, the portion of the assistant second yarns 124 traversing in thefirst covering layer 122, the third yarn 142 and the portion of theassistant third yarn 144 traversing in the second covering layer 140 areonly partially melted, keeping part of their own textures and partiallyfused to form the first film 130 and the second film 150 showing partialtextures of the yarns and may have coarse textures. On the other hand,the portions of the assistant second yarns 124 and the assistant thirdyarns 144 traversing in the base layer 110 may be partially melted toadhere to the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110 during theheat-setting step while preserving part of their textures. By theassistant second yarn 124 and the assistant third yarn 144 at leastpartially fused into the first film 130 and the second film 150 andmeanwhile adhering to the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110, thefirst film 130 and the second film 150 may be more securely attached onthe first surface 110 a and second surface 110 b of the base layer 110.In some embodiments, the assistant second yarns 124 and the assistantthird yarn 144 traversing in the base layer 110 may be completely melted(not shown) during the heat-setting step to fill the fabric pores of thebase layer 110.

Please still refer to FIG. 11. When the portions of the assistant secondyarn 124 and the assistant third yarn 144 traversing in the base layer110 are respectively exposed form the second surface 110 b and firstsurface 110 a of the base layer 110, or when the first film 130 and thesecond film 150 partially fill into the fabric pores of the base layer110, the portions of the assistant second yarn 124 and the assistantthird yarn 144 traversing in the base layer 110 may be able to adhere tothe second film 150 and first film 130 in the overlapping region of thefirst film 130 and the second film 150, and therefore the first film 130and second film 150 are more securely attached to the base layer 110 andthe relative displacement is prevented. When the fabric 100 includes twoor more assistant second yarns traversing back and forth between thebase layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 (similar to FIG. 6)and/or two or more third assistant yarns traversing back and forthbetween the base layer 110 and the second covering layer 140, the firstfilm 130 and the second film 150 may be more securely attached to thebase layer 110, and more fabric pores of the base layer 110, the firstcovering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140 may be betterfilled.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabric 100according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 12. Similar to the fourth embodiment previously shown in FIG.8A, the fabric 100 includes a base layer 110, a first covering layer 120and a second covering layer 140 covering the opposite surfaces of thebase layer 110. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that, thefabric 100 according to the sixth embodiment as shown in FIG. 12 furtherincludes at least an assistant second yarn 124 traversing back and forthbetween the first covering layer 120, the base layer 110 and the secondcovering layer 130 thereby attaching the first covering layer 120 andthe second covering layer 130 respectively intimately to the firstsurface 110 a and second surface 110 b of the base layer 110, and alsoat least partially filling the fabric pores of the base layer 110, firstcovering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140. The assistantsecond yarn 124 may comprise the same material as the second yarn 122.The structure of the fabric 100 is shown in schematic diagram FIG. 4A,illustrating that during the continuous process of forming the fabric100, the assistant second yarn 124 repeatedly penetrates through thebase layer 110 back and forth and alternately assembled with the secondyarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 and the third yarn 142 of thesecond covering layer 140, thereby being bound into the first coveringlayer 120 and the second covering layer 140 between which the base layer110 is sandwiched. Similarly, the assistant second yarn 124 may beexposed from the upper surface 120 a of the first covering layer 120and/or form the upper surface 140 a of the second covering layer 140. Inother embodiments, the assistant second yarn 124 may be unexposed butmay be observed through the fabric pores of the first covering layer 120and the second covering layer 140. It should be understood that, inother embodiments, an assistant third yarn 144 (not shown) made of thesame material as the third yarn 142 may substitute for the assistantsecond yarn 122 in FIG. 12 as the traversing yarn.

Please refer to FIG. 13. The fabric 100 shown in FIG. 12 may besubjected to a heat-setting step to make the second yarn 122 of thefirst covering layer 120 and the third yarn 142 of the second coveringlayer 140 at least partially melted and respectively fused into a firstfilm 130 and a second film 150 on the first surface 110 a and secondsurface 110 b of the base layer 110. The assistant second yarn 124 isalso at least partially melted during the heat-setting step and at leastpartially fused with the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142 andconstitute a part of the first film 130 and second film 150,respectively. According to an embodiment, as shown in the upper portionof FIG. 13, the second yarn 122, the third yarn 142 and the portions ofthe assistant second yarn 124 traversing in the first covering layer 120and the second covering layer 140 are melted to completely lose theirtextures, the obtained first film 130 and the second film 150 may haveupper surfaces having smooth texture without showing any texture of theyarns. According to another embodiment, as shown in the lower portion ofFIG. 13, the second yarn 122, the third yarn 142 and the portions of theassistant second yarn 124 traversing in the first covering layer 120 andthe second covering layer 140 are only partially melted, keeping part oftheir textures, the obtained first film 130 and second film 150 may showpartial textures of the yarns and may have coarse texture. On the otherhand, the portion of the assistant second yarn 124 traversing in thebase layer 110 may be partially melted, keep partial texture and adhereto the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110. In some embodiments, theassistant second yarn 124 traversing in the base layer 110 may becompletely melted (not shown) during the heat-setting step to fill thefabric pores of the base layer 110. The assistant second yarn 124provides a secure interconnection between the base layer 110, the firstfilm 130 and the second film 150, allowing the first film 130 and thesecond film 150 securely attached to the first surface 110 a and secondsurface 110 b of the base layer 110, respectively.

FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, FIG. 15A, FIG. 15B and FIG. 16 are schematicillustrative diagrams of a fabric 100 according to a seventh embodimentof the present invention. The fabric 100 according to the seventhembodiment of the present invention includes a base layer 110 formed byassembling at least a first yarn 112 through a continuous process(weaving or knitting), and at least an embedded yarn 128 (first embeddedyarn) simultaneously inlaid or assembled into at least partial region ofthe base layer 110 during the continuous process of forming the baselayer 110. In other words, the fabric 100 according to the seventhembodiment substantially has a unitary one-piece construction bysimultaneously manipulating the first yarn 112 and the embedded yarn 128in the same continuous weaving or knitting process. When the fabric 100is formed by weaving, the embedded yarn 128 may extend parallel with theweft yarn 112 a and intersect with the warp yarn 112, as shown indrawing (a) of FIG. 14A and drawing (a) of FIG. 14B, or may extendparallel with the warp yarns 112 and intersecting with the weft yarn 112a, as shown in drawing (b) of FIG. 14A and drawing (b) of FIG. 14B. Whenthe fabric 100 is produced by knitting, the embedded yarn 128 is usuallysupplied to the knitting machine from the direction the same as thefirst yarn 112. For example, when the fabric 100 is formed byweft-knitting, the embedded yarn 128 and the first yarn 112 enter theknitting machine from the weft direction. When the fabric 100 is formedby warp-knitting, the embedded yarn 128 and the first yarn 112 enter theknitting machine from the warp direction. When the fabric is formed byknitting, the embedded yarn 128 may be incorporated into the base layer110 in the following two ways, for example. Please refer to drawing (a)of FIG. 15A and drawing (a) of FIG. 15B. The embedded yarn 128 mayextend along the first yarn 112 and be manipulated into loops which areassembled (or interloped) with courses (or wales) of the fabric 100.Please refer to drawing (b) of FIG. 15A and drawing (b) of FIG. 15B. Theembedded yarn 128 may extending along the weft direction (or warpdirection) of the fabric and pass through loops of courses (or wales) ofthe fabric 100 without being manipulated into loops. The fabric 100 mayhave the embedded yarn 128 partially exposed form the first surface 110a and/or second surface 110 b of the base layer 110, or have theembedded yarn 128 completely embedded in the thickness of the base layer110. When the base layer 110 is made in a low stitch density (or highporosity), the embedded yarn 128 may be observed from the first surface110 a and/or second surface 110 b of the base layer 110 through thefabric pores created by the assembling first yarn 112.

The embedded yarn 128 may be monofilament or multifilament and may bemade of materials selected from the group previously illustrated.Preferably, the embedded yarn 128 is monofilament comprising polymer,more preferably comprising thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) which is knownfor adjustable elasticity, superior tensile strength andthermo-stability. According to an embodiment, the embedded yarn 128 maycomprise thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE),thermoplastic urethane (TPU), polyolefin elastomer (POE), or combinationthereof, but not limited hereto. According to another embodiment, theembedded yarn 128 may be monofilament comprising non-elastomericpolymer, such as polyamide (PA), polyester (PET), or combinationthereof, but not limited hereto. The embedded yarn 128 may have a threadsize of linear mass density between 150 and 1800 dens. It should benoticed that when the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110 is made ofthermoplastic polymer, the melting point of the embedded yarn 128 shouldbe lower than the melting point of the first yarn 112 by at least 20degrees Celsius, and preferably by more than 30 degrees Celsius toprevent unexpected deformation of the base layer 110 during a subsequentheat-setting step to partially melt the embedded yarn 128. Theelasticity and strength of the embedded yarn 128 may be adjustedaccording to application needs by, for example, adjusting the linearmass density or the ratio between the soft segment and hard segment ofthe polymer material. Moreover, the embedded yarn 128 may be made offoamed plastic for a wide range of density and hardness, such as foamedTPEE, foamed TPU, foamed TPE, or the combination thereof, but notlimited hereto. It should also be noticed that when needles are involvedto manipulate the embedded yarn 128, the needle size should also beconsidered together with the elasticity and tensile strength requirementwhen choosing the thread size of the embedded yarn 128. According to apractice of the present invention, the embedded yarn 128 preferably hasa thread size of linear mass density smaller than 900 dens, for example,approximately 600 dens.

Please refer to FIG. 16. According to the seventh embodiment, the fabric100 as shown in FIG. 14A or FIG. 15A may be subjected to a heat-settingstep to make the embedded yarn 128 only partially melted, keeping mostof its texture and adhering to the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110,thereby fastening and locking the assembling structure of the first yarn112. Schematic diagram FIG. 16 illustrates the structure of the fabric100 shown in FIG. 15A after the heat-setting step. The same concept maybe applied to the fabric with respect to FIG. 14A. According to apreferred embodiment in which the embedded yarn 128 is made ofthermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), the tensile strength andthermo-stability of the TPEE may be conveniently imparted to the baselayer 110 by incorporating the embedded yarn 128 into the base layer 110and binding the embedded yarn 128 to the first yarn 112 by simplyperforming a subsequent heat-setting step.

In comparison with conventional method of forming a functional fabricwith increased stretching-resistance by performing tedious sewing,stitching or adhering steps, the fabric 100 provided by the presentinvention having the functional component (the embedded yarn 128)incorporated into the base layer 110 at the same time when producing (byweaving or knitting) the base layer 110 simplifies process steps.Furthermore, the fabric 100 provided by the present invention may havethe embedded yarn 128 only partially exposed from the surface of thebase layer 110 or completely embedded in the thickness of the base layer110, abrasion and loss of function of the embedded yarn 128 may beprevented.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating views of fabrics accordingto the seventh embodiment of the present invention used for formingfootwear uppers. In the embodiment shown in drawing (a) of FIG. 24, thefabric 100 includes a base layer 110 formed by assembling at least afirst yarn 112. The base layer 110 may include a pre-determined thirdregion 114 c. For example, along the outer perimeter of the third region114 c, the fabric 100 may be cut into a full upper of a footweararticle. The fabric 100 further includes embedded yarn(s) 128 inlaid orassembled into the third region 114 c of the base layer 110, along thewarp or weft direction of the base layer 110. The embedded yarn 128 mayadhere to the assembling first yarn 112 of the base layer 110 therebyimparting additional tensile strength to the base layer 110.

The fabric 100 may include two or more types of embedded yarns havingdifferent elasticity or tenacity respectively incorporated intodifferent regions of the base layer 110. For example, in the embodimentshown in drawing (b), a fourth region 114 d of the base layer 110associated with the foot bending portion may incorporate embedded yarns128 a having relatively higher stretchability for comfort in ambulatoryactivities, while the rest of the pre-determined footwear upper region(the third region 114 c excluding the fourth region 114 d) mayincorporate embedded yarns 128 having relatively lower stretchability toprevent deformation or provide better protection to the foot. In theembodiment shown in drawing (c), a fourth region 114 d associated withthe foot instep portion may incorporate embedded yarns 128 a havingrelatively higher stretchability, while the rest of the pre-determinedfootwear upper region (the third region 114 c excluding the fourthregion 114 d) or the region associated with toes, sides and heel of thefoot may incorporate embedded yarns 128 having relatively lowerstretchability. In the embodiment as shown in drawing (d), a fourthregion 114 d associated with foot bending portion may incorporateembedded yarns 128 a having highest stretchability, and a fifth region114 e associated with foot heel portion may incorporate embedded yarns128 b having medium stretchability, and the rest upper region (the thirdregion 114 c excluding the fourth region 114 d and fifth region 114 e),especially the region associated with foot toes may incorporate embeddedyarns 128 having lowest stretchability.

In some embodiments concerning the side tensile stress during ambulatoryactivities, the embedded yarns with different stretchability may bearranged in parallel across the width of the footwear upper. Forexample, as shown in drawing (e), the embedded yarns 128 a with higherstretchability are incorporated into the medial fourth region 114 d thatextends from the fore edge through the upper medial portion to the rearedge of the footwear upper for a better wearing comfort. The embeddedyarns 128 with lower stretchability are incorporated into the rest ofthe footwear upper (the third region 114 c excluding the fourth region114 d) at two sides of the fourth region 114 d associated with footsides to provide better tensile support and stability during ambulatoryactivities. In another example as shown in drawing (f), the fore portionof the foot upper may be divided into a third region 114 c associatedwith the thumb toe and having embedded yarns 128 with lowerstretchability incorporated therein for higher tenacity, and a fourth114 d associated with pinky toe and having embedded yarns 128 a withhigher stretchability incorporated therein for higher flexibility.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 17. Similar to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the fabric100 includes a base layer 110 and a first covering layer 120 covering afirst surface 110 a of the base layer 110. The difference with the firstembodiment is that, in the eighth embodiment, the fabric 100 furtherincludes the embedded yarn 128 embedded in at least partial region ofthe base layer 110. As previously illustrated, the base layer 110 andthe first covering layer 120 are formed by simultaneously manipulatingthe first yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 respectively into the baselayer 110 and the first covering layer 120 through a continuous weavingor knitting process. In the embodiment, the embedded yarn 128 is alsosimultaneously manipulated to be inlaid or assembled into the basedlayer 110 during the continuous weaving or knitting process of formingthe base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120. Therefore, thefabric 100 according to the eighth embodiment also has a unitaryone-piece construction. FIG. 17 shows the knitted structure of fabric100, wherein the arrangement of base layer 110 and the embedded yarn 128corresponds to the structure shown in FIG. 15A. In other embodimentswhen the fabric is formed by weaving, the arrangement of the base layerand the embedded yarn may correspond to the structure shown in FIG. 14A.It is important that when the fabric 100 includes the first coveringlayer 120 and the embedded yarn 128, the melting point of the embeddedyarn 128 has to be equal to or higher than the melting point of thesecond yarn 122. Optionally, the fabric 100 as shown in FIG. 17 mayfurther include at least an assistant second yarn (not shown, such asthe assistant second yarn 124 shown in FIG. 4A) traversing back andforth between the base layer 110 and the first covering layer 120 toattach the first covering layer 120 intimately on the first surface 110a of the base layer 110.

Please refer to FIG. 18. The fabric 100 according to the eighthembodiment may be subjected to a heat-setting step to make the secondyarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 at least partially melted andfused into a first film 130 covering the same region of the firstsurface 110 a originally covered by the first covering layer 120. At thesame time during the heat-setting step, the embedded yarn 128 is alsopartially melted and adhering to the first yarn 112 of the base layer110, thereby fastening and locking the assembling structure of the firstyarn 112 and imparting additional tensile strength and tenacity to thebase layer 110. Usually, the material for tensile strength may adverselycause stiffness of the base layer. It is important that the meltingpoint of the embedded yarn 128 should be equal or higher than themelting point of the second yarn 122 to make the embedded yarn 128 onlypartially melted and keep most of its texture after the heat-settingstep, and therefore the tensile strength property of the base layer 110may be properly increased without the side effect of over-stiffness. Aspreviously illustrated, the melting point of the embedded yarn 128 hasto be equal to or higher than the melting point of the second yarn 122.The material of the second yarn 122 selected from the group previouslyillustrated should conform to the limitation. For example, in a practiceof the eighth embodiment when the embedded yarn 128 is monofilamentcomprising thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) and having a meltingpoint approximately at 150 degrees Celsius, the second yarn 122 isaccordingly chosen to be monofilament comprising thermoplastic urethane(TPU) and having a melting point approximately at 110 degrees Celsius.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating top views of fabricsaccording to the eighth embodiment of the present invention used forforming footwear uppers. As previously illustrated, the fabric 100according to the eighth embodiment includes a base layer 100 formed byassembling at least a first yarn 112 and has a first region 114 adefined in the base layer 110. For example, the fabric 100 may be cutinto a full upper of a footwear article along the outer perimeter of thefirst region 114 a. A first covering layer 120 is formed on the firstsurface 110 a (drawing plane) of the base layer 110 and covering thefirst region 114 a. The fabric 100 further includes embedded yarn(s) 128embedded in a third region 114 c defined in the base layer 100 along thewarp or weft direction of the base layer 110. The first region 114 a andthe third region 114 c may be completely overlapped (as shown in drawing(a) of FIG. 25), partially overlapped (as shown in drawing (b) of FIG.25, or completely non-overlapped (as shown in drawing (c) of FIG. 25).By forming the first region 114 a and the third region 114 c overlapped,the embedded yarn(s) 128 in the third region 114 c of the base layer 110may be further protected from exposure and abrasion by being covered bythe first covering layer 120 (or first film).

Please refer to FIG. 26, illustrating a variation of the eighthembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 26, the embeddedyarn 128 may be sandwiched between the base layer 110 and the firstcovering layer 120, extending along the first surface 110 a of the baselayer 110 which interfaces the first covering layer 120. The position ofthe embedded yarn 128 may be further fixed by binding its terminals tothe edge of the base layer 110 and/or the first covering layer 120. Thefabric 100 shown in FIG. 26 may further include at least an assistantsecond yarn (not shown) traversing back and forth between the base layer110 and the first covering layer 120 thereby attaching the firstcovering layer 120 intimately to the first surface 110 a of the baselayer 110 and more securely fixing the position of the embedded yarn 128in the base layer 110. Similarly, by performing a heat-setting step tothe fabric 100, the second yarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 isat least partially melted and fused into a first film (not shown) on thefirst surface 110 a of the base layer 110, and the embedded yarn 128 isonly partially melted and adhering to the first surface 110 a of thebase layer 110 thereby conveniently imparting additional tensilestrength to the fabric 100.

FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabric 100according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 19. Similar to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, thefabric 100 includes a base layer 110 formed by assembling at least afirst yarn 112 and a first covering layer 120 formed by assembling atleast a second yarn 122 and covering a first surface 110 a of the baselayer 110. The difference with the second embodiment is that, in theninth embodiment, the fabric 100 uses the embedded yarn 128 tosubstitute for the second assistant yarn 124 in the second embodiment asthe traversing yarn between the base layer 110 and the first coveringlayer 120 to attach the first covering layer 120 intimately to the firstsurface 110 a of the base layer 110. Similar to the method of assemblingthe assistant second yarn 124 in the second embodiment, the embeddedyarn 128 in the ninth embodiment is alternatively assembled with thefirst yarn 112 and the second yarn 122 thereby being bound into the baselayer 110 and the first covering layer 120 during the continuous processof producing the fabric 100. The traversing embedded yarn 128 may beexposed from the upper surface 120 a of the first covering layer 120and/or form the second surface 110 b of the base layer 110. In otherembodiments, the embedded yarn 128 may not exposed but may be observedthrough the fabric pores of the first covering layer 120 and the baselayer 110.

Please refer to FIG. 20. The fabric 100 according to the ninthembodiment may be subjected to a heat-setting step to make the secondyarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 at least partially melted andfused into a first film 130 covering the same region of the firstsurface 110 a originally covered by the first covering layer 120, andalso make the embedded yarn 128 traversing in the first covering layer120 only partially melted (for it has melting point equal to or higherthan that of the second yarn 122), keeping most of its texture andadhering to the first film 130. On the other hand, the portion of theembedded yarn 128 traversing in the base layer 110 is also partiallymelted, keeping most of its texture and adhering to the first yarn 112of the base layer 110. According to an embodiment when the insert yarn128 has a color visually distinguishable from the second yarn 122, theobtained first film 130 may present obvious texture of the embedded yarn128. The embedded yarn 128 traversing between the base layer 110 and thefirst covering layer 120 (or the first film 130) may simultaneouslyimpart tensile strength to the base layer 110 and the first coveringlayer 120 (or the first film 130), thereby preventing relativedisplacement between these layers when the fabric 100 is stretched.

FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are schematic illustrative diagrams of a fabricaccording to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. Please referto FIG. 21. Similar to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the fabric100 includes abase layer 110 formed by assembling at least a first yarn112, a first covering layer 120 formed by assembling at least a secondyarn 122 and a second covering layer 140 formed by assembling at least athird yarn 142 respectively covering a first surface 110 a and a secondsurface 110 b of the base layer 110. The difference with the sixthembodiment is that, in the tenth embodiment, the fabric 100 uses theembedded yarn 128 to substitute for the second assistant yarn 124 in thesixth embodiment as the traversing yarn between the first covering layer120, the base layer 110 and the second covering layer 140 to attach thefirst covering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140 intimately tothe first surface 110 a and second surface 110 b of the base layer 110.Similar to the method of assembling the assistant second yarn 124 in thesixth embodiment, the embedded yarn 128 in the tenth embodimentrepeatedly penetrates through the base layer 110 and is alternativelyassembled with the second yarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 andthe third yarn 142 of the second covering layer 140 thereby being boundinto the first covering layer 120 and the second covering layer 140during the continuous process of producing the fabric 100. The baselayer 110 is therefore securely sandwiched between the first coveringlayer 120 and the third covering layer 140. Similarly, the embedded yarn128 may be exposed from the upper surface 120 a of the first coveringlayer 120 and/or the upper surface 140 a of the second covering layer14. In other embodiments, the embedded yarn 128 may not be exposed butmay be observed from the fabric pores of the first covering layer 120and the second covering layer 140.

Please refer to FIG. 22. The fabric 100 according to the tenthembodiment may be subjected to a heat-setting step to make the secondyarn 122 of the first covering layer 120 and the third yarn 142 of thesecond covering layer 140 at least partially melted and respectivelyfused into a first film 130 covering the first surface 110 a and asecond film 150 covering the second surface 110 b of the base layer 110.During the heat-setting step, the portion of the embedded yarn 128traversing in the first covering layer 120 or the second covering layer140 is also partially melted (for the melting point of the embedded yarn128 is equal to or higher than that of the second yarn 122), keepingmost of its texture and adhering to the first film 130 or second film150. On the other hand, the portion of the embedded yarn 128 traversingin the base layer 110 is also partially melted, keeping most of itstexture and adhering to the first yarn 112 of the base layer 110.According to an embodiment when the insert yarn 128 has a color visuallydistinguishable from the second yarn 122 and the third yarn 142, theobtained first film 130 and the second film 150 may present obvioustexture of the embedded yarn 128. The embedded yarn 128 traversingbetween the first covering layer 120 (or the first film 130), the baselayer 110 and the second covering layer 140 (or the second film 150) maysimultaneously impart tensile strength to the first covering layer 120(or the first film 130), the base layer 110 and the second coveringlayer 140 (or the second film 150), thereby preventing relativedisplacement between these layers when the fabric 100 is stretched.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fabric, comprising: abase layer formed byassembling at least a first yarn and having a first surface and a secondsurface opposite to the first surface; and at least a first embeddedyarn embedded in a first region of the base layer, wherein the firstembedded yarn comprises a thermoplastic polymer.
 2. The fabric accordingto claim 1, wherein the fabric has a unitary one-piece construction. 3.The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the first embedded yarncomprises thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE).
 4. The fabricaccording to claim 1, wherein the first yarn may be made of naturalfibers or artificial fibers.
 5. The fabric according to claim 1, whereinthe first yarn comprises thermoplastic polymer having a melting pointequal to or higher than a melting point of the first embedded yarn. 6.The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the first embedded yarn is onlypartially melted, keeping at least part of its texture and adhering tothe first yarn.
 7. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the baselayer is formed by weaving, and the first embedded yarn is embedded inthe base layer along a weft or warp direction of the fabric.
 8. Thefabric according to claim 1, wherein the base layer is formed byknitting, and the first embedded yarn is manipulated into loops andinterlaced with loops of the first yarn.
 9. The fabric according toclaim 1, wherein the base layer is formed by knitting, and the firstembedded yarn extends along a weft direction or a warp direction of thefabric and passes through loops of the first yarn without beingmanipulated into loops.
 10. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein thefirst embedded yarn is completely embedded between the first surface andthe second surface of the base layer.
 11. The fabric according to claim1, wherein the first embedded yarn is exposed form at least one of thefirst surface and the second surface of the base layer.
 12. The fabricaccording to claim 1, further including at least a second embedded yarnembedded in a second region of the base layer, wherein the secondembedded yarn comprises a thermoplastic polymer, the first embedded yarnand the second embedded yarn have different stretching resistances, thefirst region and the second region do not overlap.
 13. The fabricaccording to claim 12, wherein the second embedded yarn is onlypartially melted, keeping at least part of its texture and adhering tothe first yarn.
 14. The fabric according to claim 12, wherein the secondembedded yarn is completely embedded between the first surface and thesecond surface of the base layer.
 15. The fabric according to claim 12,wherein the second embedded yarn is exposed from at least one of thefirst surface and the second surface of the base layer.
 16. The fabricaccording to claim 1, further comprising a first covering layer formedon the first surface of the base layer, wherein the first covering layeris formed simultaneously with the base layer by assembling at least asecond yarn when assembling the first yarn, wherein the second yarncomprises a thermoplastic polymer, and the first embedded yarn has amelting point higher than a melting point of the second yarn.
 17. Thefabric according to claim 16, wherein the first embedded yarn traversesbetween the first covering layer and the base layer to attach the firstcovering layer intimately to the first surface of the base layer. 18.The fabric according to claim 16, wherein the first covering layer is atleast partially melted and fused into a first film, the first embeddedyarn is only partially melted, keeping most of it texture and adheringto the first film and the first yarn of the base layer.
 19. A fabric,comprising: a base layer formed by assembling at least a first yarn; afirst covering layer formed on a first surface of the base layer,wherein the first covering layer is simultaneously formed with the baselayer by assembling at least a second yarn when assembling the firstyarn; and an embedded yarn, sandwiched between the base layer and thefirst covering layer and extending along the first surface of the baselayer, wherein the second yarn and the embedded yarn respectivelycomprise a thermoplastic polymer, the embedded yarn has a melting pointhigher than a melting point of the second yarn.
 20. The fabric accordingto claim 19, wherein the first covering layer is at least partiallymelted and fused into a first film, the embedded yarn is only partiallymelted, keeping most of its texture and adhering to the first film andthe base layer.